Means for connecting the parts of a multi-part housing



B. HOFFMANN July 20, 1965 MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE PARTS OF A MULTI-PART HOUSING Filed May 13, 1963 igJ INVENTOR. BRUNO HOFFMANN AGENT United States Patent 3,195,203 MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE PARTS 0F A. MULTi-PART HOUSING Bruno Hoiimnnn, Berlin-Charlottenhurg, Germany, as-

signor to North American Philips Company, inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 13, 1%3, Ser. No. 279,998 Claims priority, application Germany, June 23, 1962,

1 Claim. (c1. 24-261) This invention relates to a connecting means for connecting the parts of a multipart housing, more particularly for the two cup-shaped halves of a housing of synthetic material intended to receive an electrical device, for example of the housing of a dry-shaver. Such electrical devices, which are operated on the power current mains, must first of all be reliably insulated so that accidents due to electrical current are, humanly speaking, impossible. Consequently, in such devices the live parts are usually arranged in a housing made of high-quality insulating material, more particularly of a modern synthetic material, so the involuntary contact with live parts is impossible even in the case of injudicious operation. For this purpose the housing is usually formed so as to enclose the driving motor or the other live parts on all sides and comprises substantially two cup-shaped halves which, after mounting of the electrical parts, are reliably joined together.

For joining the two cup-shaped halves use has hitherto been made of small metal screws inserted into two correspending recesses so that it is impossible to contact them during operation, although these screws have nowhere contact with live parts. So a double security as it were has been obtained in this manner.

Another viewpoint with such connecting means, which it is desirable to take into account, is the fact that screws may readily be lost in carrying out repairs. Their re moval or provision takes up a certain time which may weigh heavy in factories having to work with a high degree of economy. Therefore in general it is desirable to avoid the use of such connecting means.

The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of known screwed connections and is characterized in that the housing has at least two projecting parts each of which is arranged on a part of the housing so that the one is a mirror image of the other a clasp engaging over the said projecting parts and pushing them against each other.

In the simplest case each half of the housing has only one such projecting part of a comparatively large surface area and the prescribed mutual position of the halves of the housing can be exactly determined by dowel pins or similar means provided additionally.

According to the invention use is preferably made of a clasp of resilient wire bent approximately into the shape of a rectangle with a ratio of the sides of about 1:2 or more. Such a clasp can be made in simple and cheap manner, the cost being especially low in comparison with the screws used hitherto, and such a clasp permits of obtaining an equally secure connection, which can, however, be established or be opened much more rapidly. In fact, for this purpose it is only necessary for the clasp to be slipped on or off the projecting parts.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, two relatively spaced projecting parts are arranged on or in each half of the housing, the distance between which from outer edge to outer edge corresponds to the long side of the rectangular clasp. The short side of the rectangle corresponds to the thickness of two closely justaposed projecting parts each of which is associated with one half of the housing.

3,195,203 Patented July 20, 1965 ice It is particularly advantageous for the arrangement to be designed so that the projecting parts and the clasp are countersunk in a recess of the housing which is covered during operation, that is to say in the closed position of the housing, by means of a cap or still better by means of a cap-shaped part of the device arranged within the housing. Thus the clasp is extracted from view and also from contact by the user of the apparatus, thus ensuring a maximum degree of safety.

It is advantageous if the long limbs of the clasp come to lie approximately at their center under lugs bevelled upwardly which are provided on the walls of the housing and if the clasp is bent in the rectangular plane so that the limbs engage one or each lug with initial stress. In this case the lugs serve to lock the clasp in the mounted position and their upward bevelling permits simple mounting of the clasp since the long sides of the rectangle on being depressed are automatically bent inwards by the lugs until they snap under the lower edges of the lugs.

The clasp may have one long side of the rectangle provided with an interruption located laterally at the center, which permits a very simple manufacture since the steel wire or the like which is used as the raw material need be bent only into the desired rectangular shape.

The initial stress of the clasp in the mounted position may advantageously be obtained by an upwardly-directed bend of the longer portion of the side of the rectangle provided with an interruption. Thus the long limb of this end of the clasp is bent from the imaginary horizontal plane of the rectangle in a slanting upward direction to obtain the shape desired.

Therefore, for a connecting means according to the invention it is advantageous if the lugs provided on the wall of the housing project inwardly far enough to ensure that, where the limbs of the clasp engage the outer edges of the projecting parts, the clasp is also securely held in position and can be disengaged from the lug and removed only by bending inwards the long limb of the clasp. Connecting means are thus obtained which after mounting, securely holds together the halves of the housing and which, on the other hand, can readily be loosened by bending inwards the limb of the clasp provided with an interruption until it is released by the associated lug, while in the loosened condition of the connection the clasp still remains fixedly secured to one half of the housing in that its other long limb is still held under the lug of this part of the housing.

In order that the invention may readily be carried into effect, it will now be described in detail, by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the upper part of the housing provided with the connecting means;

FIG. 2 is a View of this part from the bottom and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof; one half of the housing only being shown in FIG. 1 and the upper portion being shown in section in FIG. 3 for the sake of clarity.

The embodiment shown relates to the housing made of synthetic material of a dry-shaver comprising two cupshaped halves 1 and 2, the electrical as well as mechanical parts of the shaver being omitted for the sake of clarity. The halves of the housing are substantially of the same configuration and each have in the upper part a recess 3 to receive the shaving head, which upper part only is shown. The shaving head engages over the recess 3 in the form of a cap, thus covering both the recess and the parts contained in it.

To join the two halves l. and 2 of the housing which has been eiiected hitherto by means of screws passed at right angles through the separating groove, in this ex ample projecting parts 4, 5, 6, 7 are provided in the recess 3, the projecting parts 4 and 6 being provided on the a the lug 10.

. ,3 half 1 and the projecting parts and 7 on the half 2 of the housing. From FIG. 1 it can be seen that the project ing parts are made in one piece with the housing.

For joining the halves of the housing use is made of a clasp 8 of resilient steel wire which is bent into a rectangular shape and which is so proportioned as to tightly embrace the lugs 4 and 7 in the mounted position (FIGS. 2 and 3). In this mounted position the long limbs of the clasp 8 are situated, as can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, under'lugs 9, bevelled upwardly which are provided on the side walls of the recess 3. These lugs hold the clasp 8 'in the mounted position, thus providing for an invariably rigid junction of the halves of the housing.

When it is desired to loosen the connection, the limb of the clasp located under the lug It) is bent inwardly until it disengages from the lug, whereafter the clasp can be brought into the position shown in FIG. 1. The connection between the two halves of the housing is thus loosened and the apparatus can be opened and inspected. Nevertheless in this position, the clasp 8 remains fixedly con nected to the half 1 of the housing, since its long limb situated below is still held under the lug 9 which prevents it from sliding out. If it is desired to remove the clasp completely, it is necessary for the long limb under the lug 9 to be bent inwards until it disengages from the lug 9, whereupon the clasp can be pulled off upwards. 7 It will be evident that joining the two halves of the housing, possibly after carrying out repairs, is possible in a very simple manner. To this end it is necessary only to bring the clasp 8 again into the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and to make the free long limb snap under g What is claimed is: Means for removably connecting together abutting parts of a multi-part housing having mating recesses provided with longitudinally spaced, upwardly extending, laterally opposed lugs adapted to be surrounded and clampingly engaged by a resilient longitudinally split clasp of generally rectangular configuration, said parts each having an upwardly extending locking lug rigidly secured thereto between the said longitudinally spaced lugs adjacent the said recesses and having a portion extending above inwardly of thesaid recesses to prevent inadvertent disengagement of the clasp from the surrounded lugs, said portions having upwardly-beveled cam surfaces to facilitate insertion of the clasp within the recesses, said split being located laterally of the center of the clasp to provide a relatively long spring biased arm which can be disengaged from an associated locking lug to release the 7 connected parts by bending the arm inwardly against the spring bias thereof until the arm clears the said associated locking lug, and raising the said arm upwardly out of an associated recess.

References Cited by the Examiner v UNITED STATES PATENTS 278,593 5/83 Pedder 22-446 X 1,892,464 12/32 Haws 22-1 47 1 1,939,298 12/33 Guett 339208 1,954,252 4/34 Maus et al. 339191 2,582,059 1/52 Neely 189-36 3,039,188 6/62 Somers et al 3043 DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. 

